struck a deal with rival merck to ramp up production of the one-de cce. n a don trailer collides with an s.u.v. the investigation tonight, and why more than two dozen people were crammed into this car. cuomo under fire: a third woman accuses the new york governor of inappropriate conduct. the growing pressure for him to resign. six doctor seuss books shelved. on this "read across america" day, the reason why some of the children's classics will no longer be published, and why critics call it "cancel culture." dolly parton gets a shot of her own medicine after funding vaccine research. ( sung to "jolene" ) >> ♪ vaccine, vaccine vaccine, vaccine ♪ >> o'donnell: and pandemic pen pals: the special bond that's developed between fourth graders and these seniors.

>> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening, and thank you for joining us. we're going to begin tonight with breaking news on the white house's new vaccine timeline and those major rollbacks of coronavirus restrictions. as we come on the air tonight, the governors of texas and mississippi say they are lifting nearly all of their state's coronavirus restrictions and mask mandates in the coming days now, despite new warnings that the u.s. could face a deadly fourth surge of the virus. now, those moves come less than a day after the c.d.c. director said he was deeply concerned that lifting regulations would cause the country to completely lose hard-earned ground in the fight against covid. now, at the same time tonight here in washington, president biden just moved up his timeline to get the country vaccinated, promising that his administration will now have enough supply of vaccine by the end of may for all adults in the u.s. to get their shots. now, that is two months earlier

than his original target. the president says that's now possible becausef unprecedented $100 million deal with the drug maker merck, which just agreed to help its rival, johnson & johnson, produce the one-shot vaccine. plus we have some new details tonight about the goal mr. biden just set to get all teachers and school workers their first shots. so there's a lot of important headlines for you and your family tonight. we've got our team of correspondents covering them all. cbs' janet shamlian is going to lead off our coverage from houston, texas. good evening, janet. >> reporter: norah, the johnson vaccine arriving at vaccination sites like this one is a game changer, but it's coming as covid restrictions are being canceled. here in texas, it's back to business in just eight days, in a state where the infections, per capita, are among the highest in the u.s. on the ground and into arms, but as the first johnson & johnson vaccines are delivered and administered, the texas governor

late today announced he's rolling back all covid restrictions. >> it is now time to open texas 100%. also, i am ending the statewide mask mandate. >> reporter: and the lone star state is not alone. >> this new order removes all of our county mask mandates, and allows businesses to operate at full capacity. >> reporter: public health officials warn it's too much, too soon. >> if we lift the restrictions now, we're just asking for another wave. remember, every time we get another wave, people die. now is not the time to be lifting restrictions. the finish line may be in view, but we're not there yet. >> reporter: yet, it's happening across the country. massachusetts is now allowing restaurants to open at full capacity, plus live performances. on wednesday, san francisco will allow indoor dining for the first time in months. and in chicago, bars and restaurants can stay open until 1:00 a.m.

>> because people are still adhering to the public health guidance. it makes all the difference in the world. >> reporter: on the vaccine front, a major announcement today from the white house: >> we also invoked the defense production act. this is a type of collaboration between companies we saw in world war ii. >> reporter: pharmaceutical giants and rivals now teaming up. merck and company, which failed to create its own vaccine, agreeing to mass produce johnson & johnson's, substantially increasing doses.u >> we're now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in america by the end of may. >> reporter: the race to step up vaccinations coming as new covis variant cases are on the rise. >> it's really a call to wake us up. while we're getting fatigued, these variants will take any opportunity to succeed if we give it to them. so we just cannot give them that opportunity. >> reporter: also tonight, president biden directing all states to prioritize teachers. he wants every educator to have

had their first shot by the end of this month. norah. >> o'donnell: that's incredible news. all right, janet shamlian, thank you. and now to breaking news from southern california where at least 13 people are dead tonight after a devastating collision between an s.u.v. and a gravel truck. it happened just north of the u.s.-mexico border, and tonight, police say the s.u.v. was packed with 25 people. here's cbs' carter evans. >> reporter: the horrific crash happened at sunrise. >> we need as many ambulances as you can handle right now. >> reporter: an s.u.v. somehow packed with more than two dozen people, ranging in age from 16-55, collided with a big rig along this section of road near el centro, california, just a few miles from the u.s.-mexico border. 12 people, including the s.u.v. driver, died at the scene, another at the hospital. >> some people were ejected onto the pavement, onto the ground, that passed away as a result of those injuries. other people were found deceased in the vehicle and some of the walking wounded were able to

pull themselves out of the vehicles. >> reporter: but tonight, several are clinging to life after being flown or taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals. >> the ones that came in to us had injuries ranging from lifeteningines >> reporter: investigators are examining skidmarks and other evidence as they piece together what happened. the 1998 ford expedition was designed to seat only eight people. how do you fit 25 people in a vehicle like that? >> that's a good question. i don't know. i know there aren't enough seat belts in there for all of them. >> reporter: and tonight, in an unusual move, the national transportation safety board is sending a team to investigate the crash. well, customs and border patrol agents say they were not this vehicle or its occupants before the crash. skid mark investigators say the driver of the s.u.v. was from mex callie, mexico, and they're now working with the mexican consulate to help i.d.spd the victims. norah.

>> o'donnell: carter evans, thank you. tonight the f.b.i. director, christopher wray is warning the threat of domestic terrorism has not gone away since the capitol riot. wray testified before congress for the first time since the deadly insurrection, saying there's no evidence that antifa or fake trump supporters were involved. we get more now from cbs' jeff pegues. >> reporter: today the f.b.i. director revealed the number of is director revealed that domestic terrorism cases have risen dramatically.>> tnumbaswn steadily on my watch. about 1,400 at the end of last year to about 2,000 now. january 6 was not an isolated event. the problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now, and it's not going away any time soon. >> reporter: wray was pressed about whether the f.b.i. did enough to warn capitol police about the potential violence on january 6. >> the information was raw, it was unverified. >> reporter: he defended the f.b.i., saying the information

warning of war at the capitol was shared within an hour via email, at briefings, and in a secured database. what wray called "domesticled "c terrorism" was wor terrorism" was worse than anyone had anticipated. >> u.s.a.! >> reporter: what was in part racially motivated violence led to 300 people being charged with crimes-- members of militias and other extremists, including the proud boys. recent court papers reveal prosecutors believe that proud boys ethan nordean was tasked with war powers, giving him command over the group during the insurrection. former proud boys dante nero: >> they feel they're on the right side of history. they think that they're being patriotic. >> reporter: some extremist action on capitol hill, but a congressional security bulletin obtained by cbs news now sayse t groups that some extremist groups have lost interest in that date. still, members of congress are

being advised to remain vigilant. norah. >> o'donnell: and much of that fencing still remains. jeff pegues, thank you. tonight, the biden administration is slapping its first sanctions on russia, officials linked to the poisoning and later to the jail of vladimir putin's arch-alexey navalny. navalny is now being held in a notorious prison camp where harsh labor is common. tonight there is growing pressure on new york governor andrew cuomo to resign after a third woman came forward alleging inappropriate conduct. cuomo himself is keeping a low profile, in stark contrast to his daily briefings during the early days of the pandemic. cbs' jericka duncan reports tonight from albany, new york. >> reporter: tonight, facing three accusations of sexual harassment, governor andrew cuomo was out of sight, but top democrats in washington couldn't avoid the topic. at the white house: >> every woman coming forward should be heard, should be treated with dignity and treated with respect.

>> reporter: or on capitol hill. senate majority leader chuck schumer called the allegationsrf serious, but stopped short of saying the governor of his state should resign. >> the allegations that have been made by miss ruch and miss boylan and miss bennet are serious, very troubling. these women have to be listened to. >> reporter: the third accuser, 33-year-old anna ruch, told "the new york times" after meeting cuomo for the first time at a wedding in 2019, she says he put his hand on her bare lower back. she says she removed his hand. the next moment, seen here, is when the governor put his hands on her cheeks and asked if he could kiss her. cuomo has not directly responded to the latest allegation. in a previous statement he said he never inappropriately propositioned anyone. rather, his comments were attempts at being playful, and apologized to anyone who misinterpreted his actions. the two former cuomo staffers, lindsey boylan and charlotte

bennett, who have also leveled sexual harassment allegations against the governor, both tweeted their support of ruch, boylan writing, "i feel nauseous thinking about anna's experience. charlotte and i are with you, anna." while the governor has denied the sexual harassment against these women, there are continuing growing calls for him to leave this mansion and step down. so far, only one member of the new york congressional delegation is calling for cuomo to resign. that person is representative kathleen rice. norah. >> o'donnell: jericka duncan, thank you. an update now on an issue we've there is breaking news fat white house. neera tranden, the president's pick for the director of office of management and budget has withdrawn her nomination. today is "read across america" day, a date originally chosen to honor the birthday of dr. seuss,

but tonight, mentions of the late children's author has it's a date originally chosen to honor the birthday of dr. seuss. but tonight, mentions of the late children's author have been removed from many of this year's celebrations, and its publishers says it will no longer sell several of his books after concerns were raised about his portrayals of race. we get more now from cbs' adriana diaz. >> reporter: tonight, six of dr. seuss' books, including "to think that i saw it on mulberry street," and "if i ran a zoo," will no longer be published. dr. seuss enterprises said these books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong after consulting with a panel of scholars and educators. theodore "seuss" geisel wrote and illustrated more than 45 children's books. six contained racist stereotypes, like this 1937 image described as "chinaman with a cone-shaped hat, long pis tail and chop sticks. he's the only personal drawn in yellow. in 1978, he removed the yellow and renamed him "chinese man." he also cariturearabs and africans, but predua

in works like sneetches. >> i think he's like a lot of white people in whom i include myself, you know, who just isn't fully aware of how racism has shaped his own imagination. i think the fact he's trying to be antiracist and is racist at the same time is unusual. >> i had no idea that it was this bad. >> reporter: katia montel wrote about reading the books to her children for the nashville public library. do you think this is something that should make people not read his books? >> i definitely don't think this should put him on the outs as far as people reading his books. >> reporter: a teaching tool about stereotypes. adriana diaz, cbs news, chicago. >> o'donnell: the famed civil rights lawyer vernon jordan has died. jordan led a remarkable life, breaking down barriers first as an activist and later as one of the most influential power brokers in washington. here's cbs' michelle miller. >> reporter: vernon jordan's smooth counsel was sought after by business leaders and

presidents alike. none more notable than the president who tapped him in 1992 to lead his transition team. >> i'm honored and pleased to serve my friend, bill clinton, and our friend, al gore. >> reporter: which ultimately earned him the nickname "first friend." but washington wasn't all that defined him. the atlanta native son helped integrate the south right out of law school when he escorted the first two black students into the university of georgia in 1961. >> we of the urban league movement... >> reporter: he led the national urban league fighting for for economic equality for the black community, a passion of failed assassination attempts by an avowed white supremacist couldn't diminish. >> somebody has to be in the board room. somebody has to be in the streets. somebody has to be in the courtroom. >> rorter: jordan li althghwyer, served on the brds of dozens of corporations, but he never forgot his roots. >> the next generation has to take the baton and keep going.

and if we keep going, we're going to get where we should be. >> reporter: vernon jordan dead at the age of 85. michelle miller, cbs news. >> o'donnell: and there is still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." a heroic rescue caught on camera, deputies pull a woman from a sinking car without a moment to lose. and leave it to dolly parton to write the most clever caption for this video. try mr. clean magic eraser. just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum... and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops... in microwaves... and all over the house. for an amazing clean, try mr. clean magic eraser,

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well done. all right, country music legend dolly parton got a covid shot today. ( sung to "jolene" ) >> ♪ vaccine, vaccine vaccine vaccine ♪ i'm begging of you please don't hesitate ♪ >> o'donnell: you recognize that tune. parton jokingly reworked the words to her son "jolene" and posted a video with the caption, "dolly gets a dose of her own medicine," referring to her $1 million donation that went towards developing moderna's covid vaccine. parton, now 75, waited her turn for her shot. gotta love dolly. all right, up next, pen pals separated by generations but brought together by the pandemic. ensure max protein... ...to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't (grunting noise) i'll take that. yeeeeeah! 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar drink, play, and win big in the powered by protein challenge!

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my auntie called me. for certain hpv-related cancers, and gardasil 9. she said uncle's had a heart attack. i needed him to be here. your heart isn't just yours. protect it with bayer aspirin. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. >> o'd >> o'donnell: for many seniors, the past year has been their loneliest. but for some, pen pals are making all the difference. here's cbs' chip reid. >> i want you to open your tablets right now. >> reporter: at st. john the baptist catholic school int catn maryland, maryland, fourth graders were writing letters today to their slightly older pen pals. >> "dearest, thank you very is ten. her pen pal is 94.

what's the best part about having a 94-year-old pen pal?. >> making her y. >> reporter: writing teacher judy jenkins came up with the idea. >> wouldn't it be cool to have a bond develop between an elderly person and a child? >> reporter: that's exactly what happened for joanne barron, who lives at brook grove retirement village and craves the human contact missing during the the pandemic. >> if you pandemic. >> if you can't communicate, it is an isolation factor, and it's very lonesom very lonesome. >> "thank you for the last letter." >> reporter: her pen pal, nine- year-old teggy igbe, has become her friend. >> having a pen pal, i can learn new things about her. >> reporter: new friendships formed the old-fashioned way: by handwritten words. >> words are power. words can heal. words can influence. words can inspire. >> reporter: and they can brighten the world of pen pals of any age. chip reid, cbs news, silver spring, maryland. >> o'donnell: what a terrific idea. and look how good ei

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captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org ♪ ♪ this is the "cbs overnight news." thanks for staying with us, president biden is wading in to a historic showdown in alabama, thousands of work ers at amazon are voting on whether to form the company's first labor union in the u.s. the vote comes as amazon is hiring workers every month and pushing the workers to vote no. biden has asked the company to back off and allow the employees

to decide themselves. >> the choice to join a union is up to the workers full stop. >> there was only one state that president biden mentioned by name. >> working in alabama and all accuse america are deciding whether or not to organize a union. >> 6,000 employees are voting right now, on whether the form the first union in the u.s. for the giant. it's a battle. >> amazon doesn't treat the employees like people. we are treated like we are robots. >> reporter: warehouse employees like jennifer baits constantly get texts, warning that union dues could leave them with less money than they have. and anti-union flyers are posted inside warehouse bathroom stalls. >> there should be no tim

addition, no coer sympsion, no anti-union propaganda. they did say, that we don't believe the union represents the majority of our employee's views. employees chose to work at amazon because we offer some of the best employment available. the white house insists the president was simply showing support for all unions. >> we don't comment on specific cases. >> reporter: but union officials say his message was clear. >> for the workers at the warehouse in alabama, there was no question that president biden was speaking to them. >> reporter: stewart is thepresident of the retail wholesale and department store union. >> the importance of the video is that it's telling workers that no matter how much your employer is trying to intimidate you. no matter how powerful your

employer may be, the president